Reader Question: Hi, my wife and 2 sons are thinking about relocating to the Playa de Carmen area . Can you recommend and know costs of a private school for 3rd and 7th grader ? Will it be hard to find a 3 bedroom, pool home in that area , costs? What have you found for a good resource to find long term home rentals?

Thanks for any info, John

​Hi John! Regarding Playa Del Carmen, my best advice is to do a short-term rental at first. There are lots of scammers who prey on expats online, so I only recommend renting long-term if you can see the property in PERSON first. This is especially important in downtown Playa, because there are bars and clubs that make noise all night. While this might be fine for some people, we have a family and we need our sleep!

The strategy that we have used all over Mexico with great success is to rent using Airbnb first, (use a credit card, not a debit card, so you have purchase protection and can reverse the charges if there are problems with the unit.). The best option is to rent a 2-bedroom condo with a full kitchen and a laundry room, nice 2 bedrooms are relatively easy to find on Airbnb and most of the time you can get a nice discount for renting the entire month. Then go with your family, and search for your "forever" home in person, at a leisurely, unstressful pace. Once you find a neighborhood that you like, I suggest renting for at least a year before purchasing property in the area.

You can find long-term rentals in person, or use a rental agent from a reputable real estate company like Remax Mexico. We've had some luck using Vivanuncios, that is a Mexican classified site similar to Craigslist, but I wouldn't rent anything using these methods sight-unseen.

And who knows? Once you are living there full time, you might like Isla Mujeres or Tulum more. The entire region of Quintana Roo is beautiful beyond belief, especially once you leave the tourist zones you may have a difficult time deciding which part of this paradise you like more.

Now, for private schools, we have found that they are excellent in Mexico, and extremely affordable compared to US or Canadian private schools. This is true even for children who have special educational needs.

Our eldest is currently in a prestigious bilingual private school for about $250 USD a month, after an initial fee of about $600 (remember the peso is at an unbelieveable exchange rate of 21 right now so that price won't last--but you can expect to pay about $400 per month approximately, assuming the peso settles down at some point and goes back to about 10-12).

​That price included materials and books. The class sizes are small and they have a modern computer lab. They even offer a robotics class! This has been a wonderful experience for us, after not being able to afford private schools in the US and pulling our children out of an awful, underfunded public school.

There are lots of private schools in the Mayan Riviera to choose from (literally dozens). I suggest visiting a few and checking their class sizes, as well as how many teachers they have that speak both English and Spanish.

​One of the major decisions that parents must make when they expatriate is the choice of schools. Thankfully, tourist regions like Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo have a wide variety of private and public schools to choose from. Private schools are affordable in Mexico, and most expats choose to enroll their children in private schools, rather than the public school system.

​Note that the Spanish term “Colegio” does not necessarily translate into the word “college” the way you might understand it in the US and Canada. Often, this term just denotes that it is a school.

We hope that this makes your Google search a little easier. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list.

General Info: Founded in 1996, Colegio Amaranto is a bilingual international school committed to recognizing and building the individual talents of their students as well as strengthening their interpersonal skills.

Amaranto was the first school in Mexico to use a SMART Board in all of their interactive classrooms. This technology gives students a more interactive learning experience and develops their digital skills. The “Infoteca” builds students’ research skills while promoting personal responsibility in the learning process. The institution also believes in promoting student’s physical health through nutritious food and physical education classes.

Amaranto’s English specialists use various teaching methods supported by the Common Core standards and the Common European Framework of Reference to make sure students gain the confidence to speak and write in a second language on a variety of subjects. Sixth graders also have the opportunity to participate in an international exchange by visiting the sister school “Charlotte Country Day School” in North Carolina.

General Info: Colegio El Camino is a Private K-12, nonsectarian, nonprofit organization civil association. There are currently 350 students. Most of the students are Mexican nationals but there are also many international families. El Camino enjoys international accreditation with both AdvancED and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. They are registered with the Secretaría de Educación Pública and they are currently a candidate school with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. ​El Camino’s goal is to develop students’ ability to think critically instead of memorizing and reciting facts. Their bilingual program begins at the nursery stage. El Camino also provides counseling and career planning. They also have agreements with several Mexican universities for high performing students.

General info: Education Levels: Nursery, Elementary, Middle School, High SchoolIntro Paragraph: Colegio LICEO is a bilingual educational institution committed to developing future leaders capable of improving their own communities and society at large. Educational programs offered at LICEO include constructive mathematics, music, art, physical education, extracurricular activities, and an after school program. LICEO hires highly qualified staff and uses cutting-edge technology on its campus. There are also security cameras and nursing facilities on campus to keep students safe and healthy.

General Info: Colegio Peninsula is equipped with a highly trained staff and adequate facilities for different educational levels, including laboratories, library, recreation areas, cafeteria and more. Colegio Peninsula has joined with the UNO International system, a program based on developing thinking skills. In partnership with Animal Planet, Colegio Peninsula usues educational software to improve students’ knowledge in both Spanish and English and the school uses Ipads for technical support. Colegio Peninsula also has an English certification from the University of Cambridge.

General info: Education Levels: Preschool, Elementary, Middle School, High SchoolDelmar International School is a bilingual institution that focuses on academic excellence and creating future leaders to make a better society. According to Delmar’s website, the institution is inspired by a “Christian vision of life, aimed at promoting personal growth through the practice of moral virtues.” The campus also has many modern facilities including smart classrooms, a robotics workshop, and an Olympic pool.

General Info: Education Levels: Elementary, Middle School, High SchoolIntro Paragraph: Founded in 2004, Instituto Baldor is committed to developing the intellectual and social skills of its students so that they will grow up to be leaders in creating a better future. Students are taught to respect one another regardless of social status or religious beliefs. Baldor has a diverse student body and the school honors this diversity by celebrating various holidays. Baldor was one of the first schools in the area to offer an MBA tourism management program because Los Cabos is a favorite for tourists visiting Mexico. Students have also won first place in Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics competitions.

General Info: Instituto Peninsular’s goal is help shape young people into becoming spiritually strong, technical, and scientific adults that will have a positive impact locally and globally. Peninsular provides tutoring, a library with tech consultations, and science labs. Instituto Peninsular is sponsored by the Letty Coppel Foundation and associated with the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.

General Info: Instituto Samarin supports the academic and personal development of its students through highly qualified instructors, bilingual education, a positive school community, modern technology, and cultural and artistic activities. With about ten years of experience, Instituto Samarin is committed to helping students develop into people who will challenge the status quo to create a more inclusive and fair society. Instead of making all students uniform, they believe that each student must be allowed to follow their own path and it is the school’s job to support them.

General info: With over twenty years of experience, Centro Escolar Picacho is an educational institution that prides itself on the bilingual and multicultural education it provides to its students. Picacho has foreign and Mexican national instructors committed to providing a high level of academic training, promoting human, social, intellectual and transcendent values, and developing critical thinking skills. Centro Escolar Picacho thinks locally and globally by educating students with the hopes of building a better country and having a positive impact on the world in general.

Colegio AlebrijeAddress: Guadalupe Victoria s/n (entre Vicente Guerrero y Francisco I. Madero) Col. San José Viejo, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico C.P. 23437Phone: (624) 146-0252Email: direccion@colegioalebrije.com Website:http://colegioalebrije.com/index.html Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Alebrije.Colegio/ Education Levels: Nursery, Preschool, Elementary, Middle SchoolGeneral info: Colegio Alebrije is a bilingual institution committed to the intellectual, cultural, technological, and moral growth of its students. Programs offered at Colegio Alebrije include English, physical education, music, art, ecology, and human development.Uniforms are required for all student but can be bought on campus along with books and supplies. Alebrije also has a lot of green areas and modern facilities, and every classroom is spacious and air conditioned.

General info: Colegio Ugarte de Los Cabos is an educational community that promotes Christian humanist ideals forging leaders with high academic standards and social conscience to respond to current and future challenges through transforming their environment in a positive way. On their shield are the words “order, work, joy” and they use these values in their facilities and the way they educate children.

General info: Montessori Regina is the first Montessori preschool/elementary school established in the city of San Jose del Cabo. Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development.Montessori Regina works with children aged 1.5 to 6 years old.